Youth parliamentarians are calling for extended debate periods in the Senate after five bills were pushed through a single sitting, leaving key provisions poorly understood by those expected to scrutinise them.
According to Antigua Observer, National Youth Parliament Association President Ezekiel Francois and Youth MP for St John's Rural South Chrysean Jarvis raised the concern during an interview with Observer AM. Both representatives said the pace at which legislation is being processed is undermining the quality of parliamentary debate.
Francois and Jarvis argued that rushing multiple bills through a single Senate sitting does not allow adequate time for lawmakers — or those observing the process — to fully understand what is being legislated. They called for a more deliberate approach that would give parliamentarians the opportunity to properly examine each bill before a vote is taken.
The two youth leaders' comments reflect a broader concern about legislative transparency and the role of informed debate in Antigua and Barbuda's parliamentary process. By flagging the issue publicly, they are lending a youth perspective to calls for reform in how bills are handled at the Senate level.
